Finland Becomes the Ninth State to Ratify the Agreement on the European Union's (EU's) Unitary Patent Court (UPC)

20 January 2016

The agreement on the UPC was signed on 19 February 2013 by all of the EU 's member states, except Croatia, Poland and Spain. Finland became the ninth state (after Austria, France, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Malta, Luxembourg and Portugal) to ratify the agreement on 19 January 2016 (see here).

The UPC preparatory committee is aiming to complete its work on the UPC by mid-2016, in principle enabling the court to open in early 2017. However, the court will not become operational until the agreement has been ratified by at least thirteen member states including the states in which the highest number of European patents had effect in 2012, namely the UK, France and Germany. Although France has already ratified the agreement, the UK and Germany have not. For further details on ratification by the UK, please see here.